A 26-year old Indian national, who showed traces of the Ebola virus despite being cured of the disease in Liberia, has been kept in quarantine at an airport facility in New Delhi.
Indian authorities say the man returned on November 10 after he was treated for the disease in Liberia and blood tests showed him free of the virus. However, authorities say his semen still showed traces of virus in tests conducted in India.
Doctors say Ebola virus can continue to remain in bodily fluids for variable periods even after they are cured, raising the risk of the virus being transmitted through sexual contact.
India, which has about 45,000 nationals working in West Africa, has been screening people arriving from the region.
Health experts have expressed fears that it would be difficult to contain the deadly disease if it spreads to India, which is a densely populated country with poor sanitation and hygiene in many places. In addition, many people do not have access to good health facilities.
